ReMix:Final Fantasy XII "The Winds of Inishmore" 4:00

By Avaris

Arranging the music of one song...

"Game Over"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix , 2006, PS2), music by Hayato Matsuo, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2008-05-30, evaluated by the judges panel


New blood! Looking at the homepage, we've been posting up a lot of regulars lately (great stuff, to be sure, though), so it's refreshing to post a newcomer. Avaris has been active on our forums for awhile, and is on the Radical Dreamers: Thieves of Fate album, so "newcomer" might be a bit of a stretch, but this IS his first posted mix, and also our first from FFXII. Shaun actually resubmitted this arrangement of the 'Game Over' theme based on panel feedback, and got some valuable input on the original WIP as well, so he's certainly making good use of the community for feedback, and it's paid off. He writes:

"Inishmore is a little island off on Ireland. While I have never been there the pictures seemed peaceful and serene place. It felt like a place that was a little detached from the world. When I first heard the song I obviously had just kicked the bucket in the game... I thought I could win without paying attention to the gambit system. I heard this tune and instantly fell in love with it. The mix started out as an experiment to write something in 6/4 and sequence some early 90's alt rock ballad drums. (Candlebox, Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls etc.) As the song progressed over time I started getting creative with audio, FX, and tons of automation on send amounts and synths. I kept working on it and it grew into what it is today.

Big thanks go out to Tensai-San, OA, Malcos, and Jewbei for critiquing the song as it was nearing completion."

Nice. My girlfriend's been to Ireland, and so's my dad and one of my two sisters; I'm feeling a little left out. I guess this mix can be my own vacation to Ireland, until time and finances allow for a real one. Even with the resub, there's some roughness around the edge on production, with some subtle static that was apparently intentional... it does have a very immediate, acoustic sound to it. Things intro with harp, which remains dominant (and quite purdy) throughout, as a thick bass joins in underneath and the aforementioned 90's rock ballad drums kick in. Synths figure into the picture as well, with a gliding lead that doesn't ruin the mostly acoustic ambience with overly synthetic timbres - it too has an organic quality to it. It wouldn't be Celtic without a wind/pipe of some kind, so there's also a lovely, articulate flute lead. Drums are joined by some pretty non-90's rock ballad synthetic FX at 1'55" - very cool, dirty sound.

I have to admit, I haven't really heard acoustic instruments paired up with these types of textures, specifically with such a close verb applied - usually you'd expect something larger, a hall, on the harps and flute, but everything's in a more immediate room/plate sort of DSP that makes things... different. It sounds a little uncertain at times, but largely works, and furthermore gives the whole thing a really unique flavor. zyko says:

"i'm a big fan of new age musiks and that said, i'm hearing a little arkenstone mixed in with some dean evanson. the evanson evocation is in the seemingly aimless wandering nature of the track. it may be stylistically incompatible with some but i'm all for it. the track remains calming throughout.

the syncopated, delayed synths are badass .... as is the rest of the instrumentation. excellent choices of instruments. there is a real edginess to the harp but i am a fan of it."

I guess one upside here is that, since this is new age, if the production were absolutely orthodox, the whole thing might simply not be as interesting, although the arrangement itself would still be just as chill and mellow. It's a peculiar blend, but it's pretty cool. Anyone who's been waiting for some FF12 should be happy, and anyone into new age in general should definitely check this out, as it resembles some of the better examples of the genre that I've been exposed to.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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paradiddlesjosh
on 2024-01-25 21:30:38

Come for the vibes, stay for the drum filtering during the midsection. Overall, this is my preferred way to be played into a Game Over.

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pixelseph
on 2024-01-25 21:30:01

I definitely enjoy the pitch and filter sweeps on the percussion, but I also am not a big fan of some parts of the piece. Even though it's accentuated well, the stutter-gaps as outlined by Eino are jarring against an otherwise peaceful soundscape. Still, it's a wonderful arrangement of an incredibly short source.

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derezr
on 2024-01-25 21:29:12

Very relaxing remix. The harp and effects really give me breezy, springtime vibes. I could loop this all day on St. Patrick's Day.

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MegaMixtape
on 2024-01-25 21:28:53

This takes a pretty but plain source, and adds so much to it with the arrangement. Cool stuff!

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Dyluck
on 2024-01-25 21:28:35

First thing I noticed was some very high and noticeable, almost piercing upper EQ spikes on the plucking. But then there's some little beautiful gems of arrangement and production here, especially the windy slide. Eino did mention about "wandering", but not all who wander are lost; it's atmospheric more than anything else. To quote Kath and Kim, it's nice, it's different, it's unusual.

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evktalo
on 2009-02-18 13:21:40

Unlike, it seems, everyone else, I'm not enjoying this, and it's the aimlessness that's tripping me. I think something in the arrangement should pin this down. The drums sound really weak, and I think it's rather the arrangement than the sound. At spots like 1:34-1:35 and 3:08-3:09 and 3:12 I'm just.. what?! Is this a scratched CD? At the same time, it's sounds quite beautiful, calm and serene.. the understated synths sounds great with the harp. There are a lot of good rhythmic ideas too, but it just tries way too hard and does not hold together.

--Eino

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DeepChild
on 2008-07-02 10:10:57

This song really puts me at ease and draws me in. I can't help but feel a twinge of sadness everytime I hear it, but I really enjoy the experience. It's been quite inspirational. Very nice work.

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Shadow Wolf
on 2008-06-21 19:34:07

GREAT mix. I loved the harp work, and it's just generally beautiful. Wonderfully interesting sounds and textures. Great work!

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Martin Penwald
on 2008-06-19 06:20:53

Very nice choice of instruments. While the melody doesn't really do anything for me, I like listening to this just for the unusual instruments we get to hear.

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Alexis
on 2008-06-18 22:29:12

Yes!!! FFXII, awesome.

This is a really nice mix, it's so relaxing and I think you did a great job.

Hope to hear more from you in the future.

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shawnpm810
on 2008-06-05 10:19:43

Not a bad remix. Ive been in-active on these forums for so long...that ive missed tormenting the mixers and pestering Dj Pretz.

But this remix is soothing and mellow. Not a bad tune to chill to after a extremely long night at wal-mart. Makes a hell of a bed time tune if ya catch my drift. 8 out of 10 for this tune.

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MajLink
on 2008-06-04 00:08:23

It feels like not that long ago that I finished FFXII, and it is pretty nice to see that a remix of it has already been released. Solid stuff. Glad to see a game with a great soundtrack have a great remix as its first one.

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DrumUltimA
on 2008-06-03 21:30:21

wow, the stuff you did with the cymbal overtones in the middle of the piece is really fantastic! Such an interesting sound, I really like it!!! Nice mix man, congrats!

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Thin Crust
on 2008-06-03 16:15:55

All the times I heard this song while trying to get the Zodiac Spear...

I'm glad this one made it. But DJP, is every new game icon going to be the title screen?

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DTwirler
on 2008-06-02 10:40:56

Beautiful! And you are my new hero for finally getting a FFXII mix on OCR. :)

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix , 2006, PS2)
Music by Hayato Matsuo,Hitoshi Sakimoto,Masaharu Iwata,Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Game Over"

Tags (4)


Genre:
New Age
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Strings,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Resubmission

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_12_The_Winds_of_Inishmore_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,842,796 bytes
MD5:
f2af4e32dceca92dd44d6b30e3241a07
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:00

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